NATION

DepEd cites data-driven allocations after EDCOM flags classroom gaps

Lisa Marie Apacible · Oct 22, 2026, 2:46 PM

IN PHOTOS | Education Secretary Sonny Angara reaffirmed the Department of Education's commitment to prioritizing equity and data-driven classroom allocations for schools facing the most severe shortages. Through strategic partnerships with local government units and a multi-pronged infrastructure strategy, DepEd aims to ensure that resources are transparently and efficiently translated into much-needed learning spaces nationwide. — DepEd PH

The Department of Education (DepEd) said it uses school needs assessments to guide classroom allocations after the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) found that 30 of the country’s 66 fifth-class municipalities received no allocation despite having a combined shortage of 356 classrooms.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Thursday that the department’s allocation process considers the severity of classroom shortages, site readiness, project feasibility and implementation timelines.

“Ang alokasyon natin para sa mga silid-aralan ay dapat direktang tumutugon sa mga eskwelahang pinakamatindi ang pangangailangan,” Angara said, stressing that decisions should be based on actual data.

Under DepEd Memorandum No. 038 the department uses its classroom needs assessment and validated school-site priorities to identify projects for construction, including those implemented through partnerships with qualified local governments.

DepEd said its current local government-led construction program covers 8,777 classrooms in 1,955 schools across 439 local government units.

The allocations comprise 4,043 classrooms in 81 provinces, 3,123 in 127 cities and 1,611 in 231 municipalities.

The department also cited agreements with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and 48 local governments covering 576 classrooms for construction in priority communities.

DepEd said it is pursuing construction through the Department of Public Works and Highways, local government partnerships, public-private partnerships and other initiatives.

The department also said it monitors projects through physical and financial progress reports, technical validation and oversight at the division, regional and central levels.

In its report, EDCOM 2 found that only 45.2% of 332 local government units with the largest estimated classroom shortages were among the top recipients of planned 2026 allocations.

The commission also found disparities by municipal income classification. Only 55% of fifth-class municipalities received allocations, compared with 91% of first-class municipalities.

EDCOM 2 has estimated that 68,147 additional classrooms are needed to ease congestion in 4,492 schools with more than 50 learners per classroom.

Another 52,871 are needed to eliminate double and triple shifting in 1,889 schools, while 6,808 more are needed in 2,677 schools substantially reliant on makeshift classrooms.